One Too Many Teardrops
by Stop-hating-on-my-ships
Summary: Maybe they would see each other again. Maybe Fate intended it. Spencer talks to Toby in the alley.
1. Chapter 1

I ran down the street, listening to my music, pushing myself to run faster and harder. I stopped suddenly, seeing Toby Cavanaugh at the end of the street, walking towards me.

A red car drove past. A boy stuck his head out the window, and told him to drop dead.

People avoided him on the street, walking away quickly, whispering.

Two boys were eating ice cream, obviously brothers. Toby smiled at them, and the laughter on their faces disappeared. The older one tugged his brother away. I lost sight of him for a moment, and shook my head, trying to clear it.

I kept running down the street, and paused beside a gate. There, down some stairs, sat Toby, looking up at the sky, crying, leaning against the dusty brick wall. I opened the gate, which let out a loud, crusty groan. His head snapped up, and surprise flickered in his eyes for a moment. Then he went back to studying the sky.

I picked my way across the small area that was the barrier between the two of us, and sat down next to him, the rough bricks digging into my back.

I don't know how long we sat there, not speaking. It could've been five minutes, it could have been an hour.

A sudden gust of wind blew a crumpled piece of paper from the bottom of the stairs onto my lap.

It was a missing person poster. For Ali.

"You didn't kill her," I said, breaking the silence, smoothing the paper out, remembering her.

He looked over at me. "Why do you think so?" He asked, his voice still thick with tears.

I hesitated. "I'm not sure."

He nodded, looking as if he'd expected that answer.

"Do you believe me?" I asked curiously.

He looked over at me. "That seems to be a common question nowadays, doesn't it?"

I opened my mouth to say something.

"Yes," he said. "I believe you."

I smiled softly down at the photo, tears starting to drip down _my _cheeks.

He wiped away the tears, and I looked over at him, surprised.

He grinned, but not quite a happy one. "Don't cry."

I stood up and nodded. "You're right. That's one too many tears I've shed for Alison." And with that, I let the poster fall to the ground and I started to walk up the stairs. I paused, then picked the paper back up.

Toby watched me curiously.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to really let her go," I said softly. "This photo was taken by me, you know."

He looked surprised.

"It wasn't nice, having to walk down the street, and constantly be surrounded by her ghost. In some ways, we really still are." I held out the poster, more talking to myself now.

"I took this when we were heading over to my house for a sleepover," I said, remembering that day. "We were so happy."

I sighed, folding the paper up and putting it in my pocket.

I looked at Toby. "Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded. I smiled sadly.

"I'll see you around."

We both know it's not true. I never see him. He never sees me. But maybe, somehow, we will keep bumping into each other, like we did to be.

Maybe fate intends it.


	2. Chapter 2

**2. **

I was lounging on my long red chair, gazing out the window, dreaming, when my father walked into my room.

"Spencer?" My dad said walking into my room.

I twisted around. "Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you okay with my hiring Toby for the backyard job?"

"WHAT?" I asked, shocked. Toby had been cleared a couple weeks ago, but people still avoided him.

"Your mother said she'd tell you," Dad said, frowning. "It's cheaper to hire him than a professional."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine with it," I said absently. I couldn't believe him. Hiring someone because it was cheaper, not because they'd do a good job, wasn't my idea of fairness. Good business, but not good fairness.

"Very well," my father said, leaving.

"Bye," I mumbled. I sighed, looking out the window at the pouring rain. So Toby was going to be working on the house. I would see him again.

By now, I didn't know if that was good or bad.

Just then I got a text.

_A new boy? And I thought we told each other everything. Kisses! –A _

I glared at my phone, suddenly overcome with an insane desire to toss it at the wall.

I stood up and stomped out of the room, and downstairs.

"Spencer!" said Melissa. "Could you walk any louder?"

I rolled my eyes and opened the fridge, grabbing a yogurt.

"You know _Toby Cavanaugh_ is going to be working on the house, right?" Melissa asked in a snotty tone.

I slammed the fridge door. "Yes Melissa, I did know that. So if you're not going to just drop the snottiness and hold a decent conversation, I'm off," I said feeling extremely proud of myself.


	3. Chapter 3

**3. **

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to AthenaJaneThePrettyLittleLiar. AJ, if you're reading this, thank you for writing what you did at the end of the last two chapters of With Love, Spencer. I agree with you completely. I cried through the last episode, and still feel terrible. **

**To the rest of you, what she said goes the same for me! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and my terribly written what-I wish-would-have-happened story, As Fate Would Have It. (named by greenharper) Thanks for that greenharper! It would still be untitled without you!**

**Also, I'm trying REALLY hard not to be cliché or generic here, but hey… Love IS cliché. That's part of what makes it beautiful. So please excuse any classic thoughts Spencer may have. **

I drummed my pencil against my textbook, doing my best to puzzle out the last algebra problem for the day. Once I solved this problem I'd be done with my homework for the weekend.

When I'd finally finished double-checking all my homework and putting it away, I slammed my bag triumphantly onto the ground and stalked downstairs.

As I was rummaging through the cupboards, not really looking for anything, my dad came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Spence. I have to go to the office earlier than I thought today. Do you think you could talk to Toby about what he has to do?"

I froze, my hand just about to reach for a jar of peanut butter. Why? Why was he making me do this? I knew that I would be fine with talking to Toby, although it might be a little awkward, but he didn't know that. Toby had been accused of killing my best friend, and now we were supposed to be all buddy-buddy.

_No one _knew about my believing Toby. Except for A. So why was Dad acting like I should be totally fine with talking to Toby Cavanaugh?

"Um, Dad," I said awkwardly. "Are you sure someone else couldn't do it? I don't really know Toby all that well…"

He turned to me, surprised. "It's business Spence. This'll be good practice for you. You have to learn how to talk to people. It's part of the world of law." And with that he walked out the door.

"But I don't want to be a lawyer…" I mumbled after him.

I sighed, putting away the peanut butter. I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. My stomach felt full of butterflies.

Wait. Butterflies?

Uh-oh.

I was just about to make a pot of coffee when I heard a knock on the door. I sighed. Toby was probably here.

I walked over to the door. Damn lawyers. Why couldn't they stay home for once and not make their daughters talk to boys who they may or may not have feelings for!

I sighed, wrenching open the door.

**Toby's POV**

I walked over to Spencer's house, ready to start the day. **(okay, I know he should have a truck, but I love the symbolism of that darling truck, so I'm gonna have Spencer give it to him later.) **Her dad had told me that I didn't need to bring anything; they'd have all the stuff there. I didn't even know what he wanted me to do. But it was a job, and it was paying.

I walked up to the door, raised my hand to knock, and then hesitated. What if Spencer answered the door? What was I supposed to say? The words we'd exchanged in the alley had a strange note of finality to them. As if those were the last things we'd ever say to each other.

Thinking about Spencer made my head feel funny. I shook it, and knocked hard on the door.

It opened almost immediately. Spencer stood there.

Her mouth dropped open a little. "Um… um…" she stuttered.

I grinned, the only way I could stop the awkwardness of the moment. "Is your dad here? I need to know what he wants me to work on."

Something flickered in her eyes, but it was gone too fast for me to tell what it was.

"Yeah. He had to go to the office." Her voice sounded funny. Closed.

"So…" I said, unsure of what was going happen next. "Do you want me to come back later…?"

**Spencer's POV**


End file.
